Up The Farway Tree

Better late than never!

I meant to update at the weekend but the weather was far too nice to be inside on the computer!! We have had something of a tropical heat wave the past few days and I have been loving it - last summer was so awful and I missed the only nice weather we had in spring when I was rather tied up getting a transplant. So I have been making the most of the sunshine while it lasts :-) I was wondering how I would cope with the heat because pre-transplant I found it made me very breathless, couldn't tolerate it for long, and would also often feel sick with a headache. This weekend however I felt absolutely fine - took Seb to the country park first thing, rushed around Tesco getting BBQ things, prepared all the meat and enjoyed the sun all afternoon without feeling unwell at all! Just as well because we have finally booked our summer holiday - a week in Nice in a lovely ( I hope!) hotel with a swimming pool - so we have option to visit places on the French Riveria but also can chill out and relax at the pool if we feel like it. I can't wait :-)

We also spent a lot of time in the garden catching up with bits and pieces. I have re-potted all my bedding plants and have been putting them outside during the day - I have no idea what I am doing but they seem to still be alive ;-) Andrew has started work on the next stage of garden planning - lifting all the grass at the side part and putting down slate chips and making some raised beds, to try and use up the ton of topsoil we have lying about!

Bedding Plants

Stage 1 of slate chipping!

The vegetable beds however are a bit disappointing. Lettuce is growing, and carrots are peeping out but Seb appears to have trampled everything else!! Every time he goes outside he runs straight to the vegetable beds, runs up and down before peeing on the lettuce. He just gravitates towards anything that is raised above the ground so we are thinking of ideas to deter him. Some sort of suspended netting might work while still allowing things to grow. Or perhaps an electric fence....

Found Seb on the bag of topsoil....no idea how he got up there!!

He also likes to sit on stones in the rockery

My presentation last week and today went well. I put a lot of work in to them both, especially the one for journal club today, so I was pleased with how they went. It did take me a good 10 minutes to work out that there was nothing on the screen because the projector wasn't in focus ;-) I am getting used to the full day and on the plus side it is less stressful and manic at work because I don't have to get everything done before I leave at lunch time. I don't really fancy doing it every day though haha.

Seb started his dog walking last week and apparently he got on ok. He went with the dog walker no problems but did bark in the van - the dogs are in crates though, which is not what he is used to. He got on fine with the other dogs though and seemed to enjoy himself. He was acting really strange when I came home after his first walk - he kept making this strange noise while looking at me then staring at the door as if trying to tell me that some strange lady came while i was out and took him away! He seemed fine today though and was quite chilled when I got home - this makes it a lot less stressful for me getting in from work and at least I know he is not being left for long periods. He is a sensitive wee thing after all.

On a final positive note - we are now over £17, 500 for Team Jac and I have not finished collecting team members sponsor money!! I am not sure when we will have the final total but it's sure to be amazing :-)